DEL MAR ---- Girls have the right to grow up "strong, smart and
bold." Those are the watchwords of Girls Incorporated of San Diego
County. Eighty-nine supporters of Girls Inc. came together for
their eighth annual Day at the Races at the Del Mar Thoroughbred
Club on Aug. 1.

By the end of the day, and after the race named in honor of
Girls Inc. had been run, and won by Martin Pedroza on Subsidized,
the organization had netted $9,000 for its programs.

One longtime supporter of Girls Inc. who came to the races that
day with family members was Bill Harmatz, a former jockey who
appears in caricature in the 30-foot mural painted by Pierre
Bellocq at the entrance to the clubhouse and the Turf Club.

Harmatz won the Preakness in 1959 on Royal Orbit but is known
now in Vista as the proprietor of the popular Vista Entertainment
Center.

Alongside the silent auction was a newly invented game. It was
called "Betting on Girls" and tickets were dropped into boxes named
for Girls Inc. programs. The Pregnancy Prevention program won by a
nose over Anti-Bullying, and the guests who voted for the winner
were in the first-prize drawing.

The sponsors of the event were Sony and Starbucks Community
Fund, and both groups were represented at the event.

Girls Inc. of San Diego County is an affiliate of a national
organization. Member girls have access to the kind of enrichment
programs that can pave the road to a more successful, independent
and fulfilling life.

Any girl between the ages of 6 and 18 can be involved; 83
percent are minorities, and 73 percent come from households with
less than $25,000 in annual income.

Girls Inc. focuses on gender equity and delves into key issues
that might be overlooked by more general youth development
organizations.

The committee that put the event together was led by executive
director Lori Butler and Lynda R. Viveros. The group from Sony was
involved in the planning. They were Linda Bickel, Julie Wenzel,
Judy Trendel, Susan Felke, Sara Saloner and Ro Peschken.